Reducing emissions by more than 50% by 2017, and limiting the temperature increase to 1 degree Celsius (as opposed to the 2 degrees agreed to at last year’s Copenhagen talks) were among the key elements adopted from the Cochabamba Conference. Most remarkable was the inclusion of the Rights of Mother Earth into this negotiating text — a surprising victory for Evo Morales’ movement and a significant departure from the positions that typically emerge from such high level climate negotiations.
How will the inclusion of these principals play out in Cancun, now just around the corner? With the effects of climate change being increasingly felt around the world, are global leaders ready to embrace this paradigm shift, that views nature as an entity with rights, rather than a source of capital? Or, will this movement continue at a grassroots level, picking up membership and momentum with each coming climate change conference?